Improvement in hydrocarbon-furnaces



B. HERSH'EY.

HYDRocARBoN FURNACE. .v No.189,217. Patented April 3, 1877.

Clivrrn 'fr eJrns BENJAMIN HERSHEY, OF ERIE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO.

JOHN E. SHAV, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN HVDROCARBON-FUR-NACES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 189,217, dated April 8, 1877; application filed February ,20, 1877.

To all whom it 'may concern,

Beit known that I, BENJAMIN HERsHEY, of Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Boiler Fur- `naces, of which the following is a specification:

This invention relates to certain improvements in furnaces for various purposes, but is particularly designed for steam-boiler furnaces; its object being to provide for the combustion in such furnaces of liquid or gaseous fuel, such as the various liquid hydrocarbons and inflammable gases. y

Attempts have heretofore been made to employ such fuel as a heating agent for furnaces;

but most of such attempts have proved futile or impracticable, owing to the difficulty of conveniently supplying the liquid or gas to the furnace, and regulating and controlling the draft admitted to the fuel, and its action in supporting combustion controlled.

To this end my invention consists in a peculiar grate andl receptacle for the fuel, when such is employed in a liquid state, consisting 0f a hollow chamber, of tire-brick or other refractory material. The upper side of said holloW chamber is divided into three troughs or compartments, the central trough or compartment being designed for the reception of the liquid fuel, the others being perforated and communicatingwith the air-space below,

which is connected with,a suitable blast apparatus. The central receptacle is also provided with similar apertures around its edge, and the whole is adapted to be' placed in the lower part of the fire-chamber of the furnace, and operated as more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings, Figure l represents a view, partly in elevation, of a boiler-furnace, showing my improvement in section; andFig. 2 is a perspective view of my improved grate detached.

The letter A represents a furnace, which may be of any approved construction, but is preferably constructed as represented, with inner and outer water-legs a b, forming an inner combustion-chamber, B, with fines C O at each side, said water-legs being connected together by pipes S, and to the boiler by pipes T.

rlhe letter D represents a trough or chamber, of fire-clay or other refractory material, the upper face or top of which is divided into three compartments, E, E, and F, the central one, F, of which is somewhat smaller than the others, and forms the receptacle for the liquid fuel. The compartments E E, at each side, are perforated in parallel rows at the bottom, communicating With the space below, which is connected, by means of a suitable pipe passing into aperture G, with a blast apparatus of any description. The walls around the central compartment are also provided with perforations f, leading to said space. The said compartments are preferably formed of a semicylindrical shape, the central one being rounded at its ends, so as toform an oblong dishshaped receptacle, into which lthe oil is admitted through a tube, H.

The trough or chamber as thus constructed is located directly under the fire-chamber of the boiler, the centers of the outer compartments E falling directly under the walls a of the inner combustion-chamber, the innercompartment F falling directly under the center of the inner combustion-chamber;

The operation of my invention is as follows: The central compartment being filled with liquid hydrocarbon, or a stream of inflammable gas being admitted thereto through the pipe H, and, upon being ignited, the flame eX- tends up into the tire-chamber, combustion being supported therein by the blast of airthrough the apertures f, and the heated products of combustion, with the unburned inflammable gases, are deflected at each side under the inner water-legs, where they meet il f refractory material, divided into three troughs or compartments, the central one forming the fuel-chamber, and the others being perforated and communicatingV with the air chamber, which is connected with a blast apparatus,

the whole forming a grate for burning liquid fuel, substantially as setforth.

2. In combination with the fire-chamber of a furnace, thecentral hydrocarbonreceptacle,

' with surrounding air-passages, the `troughs or compartments at each side, provided with airpassages, and the Water-legs a and b, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim' `the foregoing have hereunto set my hand in the presence of the subscribin g witnesses.

BENJAMIN HERSHEY. Witnesses:

GEO. P. GRIFFITH, v D. E. BURTON. 

